NY Times: "Rubber-suit Monsters Fade. Tiny Tokyos Relax"

Above, the statue of Godzilla at Toho Studios.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The New York Times, of all places, has an interesting article, "Rubber-suit Monsters Fade. Tiny Tokyos Relax."

The article discusses the dying art of rubber-suited monsters and miniatures and replacement by computer-generated monsters.

The article reads in part:

For decades, Japanese studios dazzled, terrified and tickled global audiences with monster movies and television shows featuring actors in rubber suits laying waste to scaled-down Tokyos, or dueling atop miniaturized Mt. Fujis. The genre, known here as “tokusatsu,” or “special filming,” helped take the Japanese film industry global by creating such fabled creatures as Godzilla and Mothra, pioneering the way for other fantasy genres like animé. 

But now, in an era when lifelike digital effects have made the use of small models and suited actors look quaint and kitschy, tokusatsu is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. The last Godzilla movie shot in this style, the aptly named “Godzilla Final Wars,” was released almost a decade ago, after a half-century span during which the creature appeared in 28 films, sometimes every year. 

The article includes quotes from special-effects wizard Shinji Higuchi and our favorite Godzilla suit-actor, Haruo Nakajima.

To read the article, go here.

"TOKUSATSU--Special Effects Museum"

A new exhibit on tokusatsu miniatures is opening in Tokyo on July 10.

The Daily Yomiuri reported:

For decades, children have been enthralled by science fiction and superhero films and TV series, such as Godzilla, Ultraman, Gamera and Chikyu Boeigun (Global defense force), which are produced using "tokusatsu," a Japanese special effect that involves filming miniatures.

This technique will be showcased in the exhibition, TOKUSATSU--Special Effects Museum, which will open Tuesday in Tokyo.

Hideaki Anno, 52, who directed the anime series Evangelion, is the exhibition's curator.

Anno took up this role because he loved tokusatsu movies as a child. Before his professional debut, he directed and acted in the amateur film Kaettekita Ultraman (Ultraman Returns). He wanted to create the exhibition to draw attention to tokusatsu, which is suffering due to the popularity of more advanced methods of filming special effects.

"Tokusatsu is being replaced by computer graphics, which means the filming technique using miniatures is in decline," Anno said.

His concern is backed by the loss and destruction of miniatures that were made for older films and TV series.

"The miniatures are only used when the movies and TV series are filmed." Anno said. "So they are not repaired when they break, and some are simply thrown away."

He created the exhibition based on his fear that it could be the last opportunity to collect a vast array of miniatures.

The exhibit features about 500 items used in the filming of tokusatsu movies and TV series that had a huge influence on Anno.

"TOKUSATSU--Special Effects Museum"runs from July 10 through Oct. 8 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in Koto Ward. Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Closed July 9, 17, 23, and 30; Aug. 6 and 27; and Sept. 3, 10 and 18.

Admission: 1,400 yen for adults, 900 yen for middle and high school students, 400 yen for primary school students and free for younger children.

To read more, go here.

Power Rangers/Tokusatsu Bar Opening In Tokyo

If you were a kid in the 1990s or had a kid in the 1990s, chances are the family television set was tuned to The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

I have to confess,  my daughter Amber was a fan of the show and I watched it with her.  Now, she and others of her age group have gone on to other things in life.  Still (or maybe), she and others have a fondness for the old show.  I have some good news for them.

International Business Times is reporting that a former actor in the show is opening a bar in Tokyo with show memorabilia on display.

According to the article:

Former Power Ranger actor Masaru Shishido is opening a "tokusatsu bar" in Tokyo where clichéd memorabilia and alcohol will unite under one roof, according to Kotaku. The literal translation for the term "tokusatsu" is "special filming," and this usually refers to television shows or movies featuring superheroes and monsters.  The tokusatsu-themed bar will do more than simply pay homage to the Power Rangers series; it will highlight the entire superhero-oriented genre.

Shishido played the role of OhRed, the leader of Chouriki Sentai Ohranger. For those English-speaking Power Ranger fans, this means he played the equivalent of the Red Ranger in the Japanese version, which was known as "Super Sentai." Footage from this series was localized in the "Power Rangers Zeo" series that aired in the U.S. in 1996.  

To read the full article, go here.